While the Flora in our park is spectacular and more than sufficient to maintain our interest for decades, it always pleases me to find a bit of Fauna to discuss. Having heard a rumor last week of nesting birds near the park which were either White Bellied Eagles or Ospreys, I set out to discover where the nest might be. I found it along the Swan River, clearly visible from Law Walk in the tallest of the 6 Norfolk Island Pines which are in the first cluster of Pines down river from the old brewery. The fastest way to get there is to park at Roe Gardens and make your way down to the Law Walk, which is the lowest of the concrete paths along the escarpment. When you reach the Law Walk, turn right and head down river while looking left toward the bay. When you come upon the cluster of Pines, look at the tallest one and you will notice a dense matting of leaves, twigs, string, and maybe some plastic bags. If you are lucky, you will see both of the adults coming and going which is more than entertaining.
These birds are Ospreys (Fish Eagles) but they might be confused with White Bellied Eagles from afar. Both have white heads, but the Ospreys eyes are more forward pointing than the eagles, and the Osprey has a distinct black band visible behind the eye whereas the eagle is white in that area.
Clicking "
Osprey" text below the images in this post will take you to more images available at my Picassa Website.
I hope you enjoy this bit of birding in our park and I further hope the guests that you guide will appreciate this bit of fauna amongst our flora.
M. Taylor
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